A New Spotlight on New Music

Earlier this year, the music industry made a major shift to a universal release date. For years – decades, even – albums had been released on Tuesdays, with a different date set for international release. But now, all over the world, new music is released every Friday and, to follow that lead, we’ve decided to shake up the releases section of this website a little bit. Introducing “Now Hear This” – a weekly spotlight on new and recently released music, hand-picked by yours truly and reviewed by our staff critics and finest community contributors. If you’re signed up for our newsletter, you’ll also receive these picks in your inbox every Friday. This week, we’re zeroing in on a spirited grab-bag of sounds: the masterful songwriting of Steve Forbert, Sharon Jones‘ R&B, Joe King Carrasco’s unique brand of Tex-Mex, and Mike Zito’s ripping blues guitar. From a bird’s eye view, it’s all branching off from the finest roots music. Enjoy!